Is olive oil OK for the cat? (carbs)

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Oldcatlady

Member Since 2014
Hello; Squirt used to be a dry food with some wet diet type cat. How I wish I knew about the carbs then...But now she is only wet low carb, and thankfully she eats it well. Good eater. Anyway, since she has been wet only, her pooping is now about every other day, small amount and is hard. She was a BIG-pooper before, the dry she had before gave her big poops, daily, and formed but softer consistency. Her dry was hairball relief, so probably had a lot of fiber. I was wondering if adding some olive oil to her wet would raise the carbs? I thought it might soften her poops so they are not so hard. Any other known suggestions that are safe to give would be appreciated! Thanks. Have another question but will make it a separate post, totally unrelated.
 
Yes it is OK. However I would use MiraLax (generic is just polyethylene glycol 3350, NF). Start with 1.8 teaspoon and increase as necesssary
 
Olive oil is a fat, not a carbohydrate. That said, cats can break down both fats and proteins to make glucose if they need it.

Check out Feline Constipation for more than you ever thought you needed to know about the feline GI tract.
 
Well after checking with the vet, I bought Miralax, and mixed a bit in tonight's food. Then was reading about propylene glycol (not the same thing!) and read the bad stuff about it, especially the glucose part and anemia, and went to her dish and dumped it. Then realized Miralax is NOT that! Anyway, read the constipation page too, thanks for the reference to it. Sounds like the olive oil is not the best idea. So if I were to try pumpkin, that is not going to add carbs to her diet? I have read somewhere in other's posts that some use pumpkin.
 
Plain pumpkin or squash has fiber, but not many carbs. You only add some, not tons. As with humans, start with a modest dose of perhaps a teaspoon or two and see how it is handled. Slowly increase every 2-3 days until the desired effect is obtained.

Caution: if you ever think your cat is blocked completely, an enema may be needed before you do anything else. Trying to push things through from the mouth end may result in tearing of the GI tract, infection, sepsis, and risks death.
 
Squirt is still pooping, it's just her amount is definitely smaller and harder than before when she ate fiberous dry food for hairball control. I gave a very (very) small amount of Miralax this morning mixed with water and added to her wet food. We'll see how that works and will adjust as her poops are more normal. She's doing so well with her insulin control I do not want to add anything that might remotely add any carbs to her diet. I understand about the potential blockage issue and will definitely watch for any signs of that. Thanks all for your replies!
 
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